


New Klaus

by h00ligan



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:34:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22749415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/h00ligan/pseuds/h00ligan
Summary: Klaus hasn't been the same since the incident with Mom's heels.But worse, Klaus is utterly unrecognizable when the media starts calling.
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 2
Kudos: 67





	New Klaus

The first interviews happened about a week after the bank robbery. Reginald had screened every news source and settled, at first, for a magazine for teenagers. Allison wasn't allowed magazines or TV, so she didn't know what to do, how to act. None of them did. Except for Klaus. Because for some reason, Klaus was out of the residence wing of the mansion, sitting precariously on the rail of a fire escape, eating a chocolate while he had his hands on the very magazine they were slated to appear on, _Tween Hit._

Wait, how did he get that?

"What are you doing?" she asked, leaning out the window, afraid to exit the house, as though there were an invisible barrier.

"Reading," he replied, waving the issue in his hand, black nail polish glinting in the sunlight. "A fan heard about the interview."

"A fan?" Allison asked, sitting on the windowsill, furrowing her brows. "What's a fan? Like an air conditioner?"

A laugh left Klaus' lips, and she didn't like it. She didn't like New Klaus, whose only response to anything was sarcasm and bitterness. She liked old Klaus who held her when they got their tattoos. She even missed the screaming from Klaus' room. Now it was just eerily silent. "No, like people who _like_ us who don't know us. Come here." He gave her a smile, but it wasn't like the smiles Little Number Four gave, everything had become so different after his accident with Mom's heels. Everything was armor now. But still, a taste of the outside world. Is this what people outside were like? If they were, she _had_ to get used to it.

Allison sat on the fire escape and he came down from the rail, opening it up to the interview page. Some boy band she'd only heard from passing cars. And reading the questions, she found herself drawn into it, how _normal_ they were despite the massive fame. "Why are you reading this?"

"Isn't it obvious? I want them to like us. If they don't like us... well, you don't want to be here forever, do you?"

She shook her head. 

"If we talk like that, they'll like us enough that we can leave. So, we practice." He crossed his legs, feet bare, as always. "Uh, first, I don't think we should go by Mom's names for us, or our numbers. In the comics all the heroes have names. So, I was thinking, the Seance," Klaus smiled wide, spreading his hands for flair. "It's a really cool word for how people used to talk to ghosts in the old times. What about you?"

"Rumor."

Klaus mulled it over for a moment, then nodded. "And the others. Luther?"

"Spaceboy," she said, with no hesitation. 

"Spaceboy?"

Allison nodded. "Luther's _really_ into space. He wants to go to the moon."

"Well, if he likes it. Diego could be Kraken. You know, like that old movie Pogo had us watch in our mythology lessons."

"Why?"

"Because I can't think of a badass name based on his knife thing. Five?"

"I don't think Five wants a codename. He didn't want Mom's name."

"Ben?"

"Oh, we talked about this! The _Horror_. Well, it's what he calls the interdimensional Lovecraftian being in his stomach, at least." He ate another square of the chocolate.

"Oh, can I have some? We only get chocolate on our birthday!"

A look crossed his face, something sour, that reminded her of New Klaus that had Dad's training every couple days and had entered effective shutdown a year ago. "No, this is my stuff, Three." _My stuff, my things_ , were lines that didn't get crossed. They had so few things to call their own, in a home where materials were distractions, that Allison only nodded in understanding. "So, I was thinking we could practice the interviews so they like us."

* * *

Klaus would have to think Jane later for the contraband, because she wasn't allowed in the room where they were interviewed _no matter who her father is_ , but thankfully, Klaus thought it worked like a charm. Or at least well enough to leave the interviewer laughing every time Klaus or Allison opened their mouths.

Was Diego a little miffed at his superhero name at first? Yeah. But he had enough manners not to interrupt the interview.

"So, Seance, when did you first realize your power?"

 _I filled every second of my existence screaming at twisted corpses since I opened my eyes_ was hardly a good answer, and not really one that would ingratiate him with people. That attitude got him mausoleum visits. So, he leaned back in his seat and crossed one leg over the other. "Well, you know, I've always been so cool that even the ghosts have to experience all of this. Even a nanny who fell down the stairs." 

"Do any of you know where you're from?"

 _A squatter in East Berlin_. "You know, The Monocle always kept that secret from us, knowing where we came from made us less of a family." He held Allison's hand with both of his, though their other four siblings gave incredulous looks until he kicked Five's ankle. 

Allison piped up. "Dad always says that there's no individual stronger than the collective, so he makes sure we log quality family time."

God, these questions were harder than the ones that boy band got.

"How does Mr. Hargreeves keep you safe? I mean, you're children going after hardened criminals."

 _We're harder_. "Dad has his ways to keep us safe. He wouldn't let us get hurt on a mission." Allison probably believed that.

So, the interviewer thanked them, and they were brought outside for the photo, positioning them all meticulously, and took pictures for hours until they lost the natural light.

Reginald let them share their copy of Tween Hit, and something in his stomach calmed when, regardless of his number, he and Allison were put squarely in the center. _Closer, now. Closer to escaping_.

* * *

After the interview, children crowded around the gate and he snuck into Allison's room.

"Jesus!" she exclaimed, physically jumping when she looked up from her vanity.

"So close, but so far. Want to meet your fans?"

"Won't Dad notice?"

"Mom said he's taking notes. Come on. Your adoring public awaits." Allison stood ramrod still for a few moments, then headed to the fire escape and he followed her down. 

There were girls, a lot of girls, asking for his autograph (which he all too willingly gave), and then a boy came with his same copy of Tween Hit, and a shy smile, and he couldn't breathe, just looking at him.

Well, fuck.

"And what's your name?"

"Liam."

"You have money for Griddy's?"

"Are you kidding? Aunt Agnes serves me for free."

"And suddenly, you have my undivided attention," he chuckled as Allison found herself surrounded by a group of adoring boys. He wanted that, but for now, one boy was definitely enough, and they slipped away.


End file.
